Chapter 25

I decide to walk alone to my lesson with Sir Magis in an effort to clear my head. Using the statues as markers, I count each one, having mapped out the turns based on their placement. My legs throb with each step after this morning's rigorous training, and my heart is still stinging from the puncture that Landers and Olly left. How could I have been so foolish to believe that he wanted me? Maybe, in some weird way, Landers is trying to save me, to prevent me from falling for someone who could never love me in return.

I need to focus on my lesson.

Turn left, count three statues, turn right, count five, turn left again… following the directions saved in my mental mapping, I realize that I should be in the correct room by now, but this hallway looks unfamiliar. I open the door to a windowless room – illuminated only by the light entering through the doorway. There is only a single circular table with six tall backed chairs surrounding it in the center of the room. A map of the continent with small figurines is placed on top. The room is eerily vacant, yet it feels full of significance. Perhaps I should turn around. I'm already pushing it with my risky plan to meet with Guylita.

No.

I need to know what they're hiding. Might as well go all-in, right?

I approach the table and begin looking over the map. Carcera is demarcated in the southwest region with a single figurine in its place. Just beyond the border of Umbra, not too far from Carcera, is a grouping of ten figurines. While I can't be certain what the figurines denote, the gnawing in my gut tells me that trouble is near.

I circle the table slowly, fully examining the contents of the map. My concentration is suddenly broken by muffled male voices, which barely penetrate the back wall of the room. I delicately approach the wall and the voices become louder. I search for the edge of the thick woven tapestry covering the space. And once I find the trim, I pull it to the side and press my ear up against the bare wall.

It is King Vani's voice that I recognize first. "What of the skirmish in Alium?" I glance at the map and see two figurines standing where Alium should be.

"Finished." The other responds. Their serpentine voice slithers through the wall, so chilling that it sucks all of the warmth from the room.

"And of the girl?"

"He's working on it."

"Good. Is the counsel ready?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Let's go. They won't wait long before they start making decisions without me." Floorboards creak as footsteps move farther away, becoming more muffled until finally fading altogether.

My head is spinning. What could they be talking about? Their words were so clipped and guarded as if they were afraid of being overheard. Little do they know, their fears were warranted. A skirmish finished. A girl being ‘worked on.' Could they be referring to me? Once again, I am left clueless and scrambling to piece it together.

I need to remember this spot. If I'm lucky, I might overhear another conversation intended to discuss my fate, hopefully with more detail. Who knows what secrets might slip when the speakers hold the illusion of privacy?

But that's a note for another day. For now, I need to find the study, or else Sir Magis might grow suspicious. Carefully outlining the floor plan in my head, I retrace my steps until I find the right door. Just one left turn instead of right.

"You're late," Sir Magis croaks as I walk in.

"I'm sorry, sir. I got lost."

"Very well." He claps his hands together and rises from his seat behind the desk. "We have much to do today. I want to try your hand at opening locks."

"I'd like to focus on something else if that's okay?" Curiosity glints in his eyes, so I continue. "Liliana mentioned a spell to help me see the invisibles. Could you help me with it?"

I thought about it all night. If I am to meet with Guylita at the ball without being caught, I can't risk having the invisibles lurking over my shoulder and listening to every word. Their ability to hide in plain sight puts me – and more importantly, Gemma and Guylita – at risk. And if Liliana was able to cast such a spell, then perhaps I can, as well.

He cocks his head to the side. And only then, after posing the question, do I consider that asking him for help might not be safe. What if he reports back to the king? He might not want me lifting the veil of his watchdogs.

"Why would you want to cast such a spell?"

I need to tread carefully. I mustn't reveal the truth, but I mustn't lie either. "I need to know when I am being watched."

His posture remains stiff and scrutinizing.

I continue, pleading, "I fear them watching me when I change… when I bathe… when I sleep… I do not know when to be modest or when to be free. I live in fear that the stalking beasts are lurking over me."

It's not entirely a lie.

"It's an interesting proposition." He folds his arms across his chest and leans back onto the desk. "I will discuss it with the king."

"No!" I yell, startling both Sir Magis and myself. "I would hate to offend after all that he's done for me. I'm so grateful for his generosity and protection. All I ask is for the ability to see them so that I am aware of their presence. To help me sleep soundly without fear of being watched."

"No. It's not my place to make that judgment without the advisement of the king. I am his humble servant and cannot act against his will."

An idea occurs to me. If it is not for my own sake that he would be willing to help me, then perhaps he might be willing to help himself. "Are you aware that I will be made queen?"

"Yes, I am aware." His chin tilts casually with intrigue.

"If you were to help me achieve this goal, then I would reward you with whatever you desire once I wear the crown. Riches? A title? A castle? You name it." He doesn't need to know that I might exercise the option to deny this arrangement. And in truth, I don't know that I can promise these things, even if I accept. But those are points which I will deal with later.

"An exchange." He hums as the wrinkles on his forehead scrunch even tighter. "Carte blanche?"

"Yes, you may make one request when I am made queen. Carte blanche." Oh, gods, I'm going to regret this, aren't I? "Please."

Finally, he says, "If you swear to a blood oath, then you have a deal."

A blood oath. The twins mentioned swearing a blood oath. They also said that the price of breaking it is death. My heartbeat quickens at the thought. "What does that require?"

He holds his left hand out in front of him and draws a dagger with his right. He slashes it quickly across his palm. Blood oozes out around the sliced skin. Then he turns the hilt to me as his calculating eyes meet mine. "Blood oaths are magically binding contracts. If you renege on your part of the deal, then the oath will take your life in exchange."

If I back out now, then he won't help me remove the blinders on the invisibles. I need to be able to move and speak freely without the fear of invisible eyes watching my every movement. I need this. I need to know what gift was so important that my own parents leveraged it for safe passage. So important that the King of Mendacia promised his son for it.

Grabbing the dagger from him, I place it on my palm. Without allowing myself a moment to hesitate, I submit to the contract and slash the dagger across my skin. We bind our hands together, blood to blood, shaking our agreement into existence. Once we release our hands, the slash across my palm disappears, like magic.

The deal is struck.

In pursuit of discovery, some sacrifices must be made. And this sacrifice, I pray, is worth it. "When can it be done?"

"Patience. This will require time." Sir Magis is nearly frothing at the mouth as he stares at my palm. I quickly pull it from his sight, hiding it behind me.` What did I just give him?

I don't have time to think about that any longer. The spell must be complete by the time I meet with Guylita on Saturday, assuming she agrees to come. "How long?"

"A week, perhaps." His eyes narrow on me, assessing. "What's the rush?"

"I told you already. They make me uncomfortable," I tell him. If it takes a week, then the blood oath was for nothing. It has to be done sooner. It just has to.

He's suspicious, that much is clear. But thankfully, he chooses not to push that line of questioning further. "Give me a couple of days. I'll move with haste."

I let the relief flood through me as I take a breath. A couple of days until we remove the blinders. I can do that. This will work out.